Kaiba Reborn
by AlistairsPocketwatch
Summary: Something's wrong in the halls of the mansion, and if Kaiba is going to attend the Gala Dinner, then Mai Valentine is going to have to teach a lesson or two. (Rivalshipping Yugi x Kaiba, transgirl!Kaiba)
1. Chapter 1

There must have been dirt on the mirror. Something about his reflection looked off, looked strange to him. He studied his face carefully. Something had been off for a while, but it was getting more and more visable by the day. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

It was making his skin crawl. And it wasn't just this mirror; it was all the mirrors in the house. He called Mokuba into the room, and pointed at the mirror.

"Do you see anything wrong with it?"  
Mokuba studied his face and shook his head.

"Nope. Normal face." Mokuba replied, not quite sure what was happening.  
Kaiba pointed to another one in the hallway.  
"What about that one?"  
Mokuba walked over, tilted his head in curiosity, and sighed.  
"No, nothing weird. Is everything okay?"  
Seto looked back at his own reflection, fear making his skin crawl.  
"I…don't know."

…

This news lady was pissing him off. He didn't understand why, but he was going to blame it on her dumb pencil skirt. That shade of green, hideous. If he were wearing the skirt, he'd have chosen a much nicer one. Black or white. More business like. Just above the knee to help accentuate long legs.  
…Why was he picturing wearing a skirt? He couldn't put his finger on it.  
"Why are you scowling at the TV, bro?" Mokuba asked, snapping Kaiba from his trance.  
"I'm not quite sure. Does anything about that woman seem off to you?" He asked. Mokuba frowned. This again. First mirrors, and now newscasters. What did they have in common? 

…

He was stuck going through his wardrobe before a meeting. Everything he pulled out seemed to be wrong, but it had all been fine before. He didn't understand why it was so off today, why he couldn't focus or concentrate. He turned to face a full body mirror. It suddenly started going blurry. It took him a while to figure out why but then, oh. He was crying. Why was he crying? How did this relate to a stupid skirt and…  
Oh.  
 _Oh.  
_ He picked up his phone and dialed a number he never thought he'd have to use again. But he had a feeling she'd be the one to talk to.  
"Mai Valentine. It's me, Kaiba. I'm sending you a limo. I…need your help with something."  
"Another virtual world pod?" She joked, before hearing a slight hitch in his voice.

"…I'll be right over, Kaiba."

…

The maid at the front door pointed Mai in the direction of the elder Kaiba's bedroom. Apparently he'd gone in that morning and missed a business meeting, which everyone knew, was extremely unlike Kaiba.  
She knocked on the door and waited. The voice that came back was weak and defeated. Mai was shocked to hear it.  
'Mai?...Come in."  
She slowly opened the door to see clothes strewn all over the room, the whole room turned upside down and the CEO of KaibaCorp, wrapped in a duvet, sat in the middle of the carnage. Mai stepped over his things and sat by him.  
"Kaiba, what the hell happened? This was…unexpected."  
Kaiba turned to her and looked up. She realized he'd been crying the whole time. His eyes were puffy and red, and she could tell it was taking all of his strength to look at her, and admit to his defeat.

"I don't…I need…" He took a deep breath.  
"I need your help. What I say cannot leave this room. Do you understand?"  
Mai was taken aback. What had made Kaiba cry? What could she possibly help him with.

"I promise. What's gotten you into this state?"

Kaiba took a deep breath, unable to believe he was about to say it out loud. He'd only just figured it out, let alone confirmed it, but if he said this now, he would be unable to take it back.  
"I'm having an identity crisis." He started. "I understand you and I are from similar backgrounds. You've had to work for everything you have, as have I." He hadn't thought his words through, so allowed his brain to continue without much attention.

"I wonder if there were any differences because of…certain factors." He asked. "Maybe you've had to prove yourself more than me to get results lesser than mine. It wouldn't surprise me. It takes a great lot of strength to persevere regardless."  
"What do you mean, Kaiba?"

"Being a woman." Kaiba answered. "I'm guessing people don't take you seriously." 

Mai laughed weakly, dwelling on the many situations she'd had to prove herself twice as much as any man would have had to.  
"Yes. It's difficult. But worth it."  
"Tell me, Mai." Kaiba asked, eyes drifting to his wardrobe.  
"Is dark green a bad colour for a pencil skirt?"  
"Definitely! That's novice behavior!" She exclaimed, not quite understanding where Kaiba was headed, but in total agreement.  
"I thought so. It looked so bad. Maybe a black or navy…" He sighed again and became silent for another few minutes. Mai sat awkwardly, waiting for him to continue.

"You'll have to teach me how you do it, Mai. You've never been apologetic for who you are."  
Mai blinked in shock, before frowning.  
"Neither have you."  
"Not yet." He corrected. "But it's likely."

"What's going on, Kaiba?" She asked again. It felt like they were finally reaching a conclusion.  
"Mai, I…" He stared back at the mirror, slightly cracked where he'd thrown a lamp at it.  
"Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and thought that you were staring at someone completely different? And it's all wrong and you just want to tear your own skin off?"  
Mai went to answer, when it suddenly clicked into place. The talk of skirts, the talk of how she must have had it harder because she was a woman, him despising his reflection.  
"Kaiba…" She muttered, grabbing his hand and holding it when he tried to pull it back.  
"Are you…a woman?" She asked, not knowing how else to put it. He turned to her, fresh tears in his eyes, and he nodded.  
 _She_ nodded.

…

Eyy I'm back and with more Yugioh bs because I got my new partner obsessed and I can't let it go.  
Also, this AU came from a picture someone did of Kaiba in a black cocktail dress and heels, and I fell in love.  
Also MAI IS UNAPRECIATED AND I LOVE HER.  
Will eventually be Rivalshipping.  
Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

"Mokuba, pick up the phone." Kaiba ordered whilst jotting down notes. Mai had told her to keep a journal, so that even if she couldn't talk to a single human soul, she could at least organize her own thoughts on to paper.  
Mokuba answered, and Kaiba blotted out the conversation, focusing on what she'd just scrawled.  
 _It'd be nice if he saw me like that._

She knew that could never happen, but as soon as she started imagining the scenario, Mokuba appeared by her.  
"Big bro!" Mokuba grinned. "It's Mai Valentine. She says she needs to talk to you."  
Seto grabbed the phone. She would tell Mokuba eventually, probably when she felt surer of herself.  
"Mai?"  
"Kaiba! Drop your plans for the afternoon. A girl just won a tournament. You know what that means, right?"  
Kaiba went quiet for a second.

"…No?"  
"A shopping trip, girl!" Mai exclaimed. "Meet me on Main Street in an hour! Girls day out!"  
Kaiba sighed, closing her eyes, knowing she was going to regret her decision.  
"I'll be there."

…

"Have you told Mokuba yet?" Mai asked. They had agreed to grab a coffee before the adventure started, to calm Kaiba's nerves.  
"No." Kaiba sighed. "I want to, I just don't think he'll understand. Not in a bad way, I just think it'll confuse him a lot."  
"Well, if you want, call me when you're ready to do it." Mai smiled. "And I can be there to help explain if he needs it!"  
Kaiba stared vacant, before nodding. Why was Mai wasting her time? Surely she had better things to do.  
"Also, have you thought of a name?" Mai added to the seemingly never-ending list of questions. Seto had given it some thought. She had come out a week before, and it had occupied a lot of her thoughts. Mai was shocked when she smirked and laid back in her seat.  
"Of course, I'm keeping my name exactly as it is. Whether male or female, people respect the name Seto Kaiba. I refuse to walk away from that."  
"I like your style." Mai grinned approvingly, leaning back herself. "If that's you, and it's what you want, then you stick to it. It also makes things easier for Mokuba."  
"True." Kaiba nodded, sipping at her Americano.

Mai smiled. Seto seemed so much surer of herself than she had the week before. She felt grateful to have been let in and trusted when no one else had. She felt like an older sister; Kaiba had been drawn to her for her feminine strength, and she was going to teach Seto if it killed her.  
…

"None of this is working." Seto sighed. The entire way down the street, Mai had been shoving her in fancy women's clothing, and it all felt wrong. Not necessarily because of Seto's body shape, but nothing they had found suited her. The only purchase they had made that afternoon was a pencil skirt. Seto liked it, but had to debate with Mai whether it was worth buying. She didn't feel confident heading outdoors in skirts or dresses. As Mai stumbled through racks of greens and blues, a garment caught Kaiba's eye. She picked it off the rack, before slinking off to the changing room, doubting Mai would even notice she was gone.  
Black silk. Seto looked at herself in the mirror and inhaled. She loved it. Absolutely. This solved all the problems that she had suffered with the week before.  
"Mai!" She called. There was a mumble from outside the dressing room.  
"What's up, Hun?"  
"I need black stilettos and a black…the bags you carry rather than the ones that sit on your shoulder?"  
"Clutch."  
"Yeah. One of those."

…

A deep breath. No more time to think. Curtains open.  
Mai's eyes widened. She gasped.  
"If it looks bad, tell me."  
"No…Kaiba…" Mai's eyes started to tear up. "You look beautiful."  
It was a simple black jumpsuit, cut down to stomach level. It gave a very slight illusion of cleavage. No sleeves. A tiny amount of collar. Flared trouser bottoms. It was sleek and business all in one.

"I really like this one."  
"I should hope so!" Mai screamed, clapping her hands. "Your legs look incredible! They never end!"  
Kaiba stared at herself in the mirror again. Maybe a bit of makeup…  
"What about a wig?" Mai asked.  
"No wig." Kaiba replied sternly, touching her hair softly. "I like it like this."  
"It's cute short! Stick to what makes you happy!" Mai nodded. She suddenly rushed up beside Kaiba and whipped out her phone.  
"What are you doing?" Kaiba asked.  
"A selfie!" Mai grinned, setting up the camera. Kaiba's eyes went wide.  
"You can't post this!"  
"I wasn't planning to." Mai smiled. "I wanted it as a reminder of my friend."  
Kaiba sighed in relief, and then raised an eyebrow.  
"Let me hold the phone at least." She smirked. "You're way too short to get us both in frame."  
…

"So, have you been using the journal?" Mai asked as they strolled down the street, the sun dimming slightly. They'd spent hours shopping and other than the skirt and the one outfit, Kaiba had splashed out on some jewelry and some basic make up supplies. Mai had commented on her unblemished skin, so Kaiba had bought her new friend the products from her daily skin care routine. Mai had nearly fainted at the price tag.  
"Yes. All the time."  
"Figured out anything else about yourself?"  
Kaiba went to speak, but stopped herself. Could she trust Mai with such a big secret? She nodded, but wasn't going to say unless Mai asked specifically. Which of course, she did.  
"Such as?"  
"Nothing much. A dumb crush maybe…" Kaiba muttered, before being suddenly tackled in the middle of the sidewalk.  
"A CRUSH?" Mai shrieked. Kaiba gave her a look to keep quiet. There could be press in the area.  
"Who? Please, I promise I won't say anything!"  
"Not that it matters. He wouldn't see me like that anyway. I don't even know if he'd accept me like this." Kaiba admitted, the realization hitting her hard.  
"Really? Who is it?" Mai asked, expecting some backhanded comment about someone random. Instead, what she got was a look of pure fear, like this crush had the ability to rip out Kaiba's heart and take her place at the top of the world…  
Mai stopped, in shock. Kaiba knew from her stare that she'd figured it out.  
"Say it. So I know it's true." She asked. Kaiba stared at her feet and kicked some dust up.  
"Yugi Moto."

…

Here we go! Thank you so much for reading!

-Alistair


End file.
